Chasing the Podium: Exclusive Interview with Global League P3 Finisher

Alex hails from the Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire Fens in Eastern England and works as a Commercial Manager. He holds season tickets for Manchester United and enjoys sports ranging from cricket to darts.

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Alex’s dominance in F1 Fantasy is rooted in a lifelong love of Formula 1. A 30-year fan of the sport, he rarely misses a practice session and draws on that history to find useful insights he can apply to F1 Fantasy. When asked if having a strong statistics background gave him a leg up last season, Alex said, "I think it's less about formal qualifications and more about years of exposure, pattern-spotting, and learning what really matters over time."

In this exclusive interview, Alex shares the approach he took to reach the Global League podium. His style of balancing cost cap gains with maximum points, reducing risk, and strategy to identify effective differentials serves as a blueprint to F1 Fantasy players in 2026.

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Starting Strong

Alex nailed his lineup for the opening race in Australia, opting for a Tier B constructor (Williams). When asked about what he saw in Williams, Alex noticed their upside early on. "Williams had shown encouraging pace in pre-season testing in Sakhir, particularly relative to expectations, and Sainz looked competitive again in FP1 in Australia. That combination suggested there was genuine value there rather than just short-term noise." He also cited doubts about the second drivers at Mercedes (Antonelli's F1 debut) and Red Bull (reliability issues for Lawson) that led him to look outside Tier A.

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With his remaining budget, Alex selected race winner Lando Norris for his 2X DRS Boost, wet weather expert Nico Hulkenberg, and both Haas drivers. This approach delivered 209 fantasy points and set Alex up for success in the next races. "Bearman had shown last season that he could step in and deliver solid performances when called upon, so instead of concentrating spend on a top-tier constructor, I chose to spread the budget across drivers. It also aligned with how I like to play fantasy games more generally — borrowing from Fantasy Premier League, I tend to plan around the next two or three events rather than optimizing purely for the opening race."

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Key To Success: Consistency and Discipline

Heading into Imola, Alex found himself among the Top 100 players in the world by consistently balancing scoring and cost cap gains. "I was very focused on developing a strong hybrid approach — building value early while still staying competitive on points — with the clear end goal of reaching a 4A structure. Once the pricing behavior was better understood and the algorithm effectively cracked, I leaned heavily into data to prioritize drivers who were highly likely to generate $0.3M or $0.6M in value. Over time, the compounding effect of consistent budget growth far outweighed the gain from choosing one driver over another for an extra point or two in the short term."

To separate himself from the rest of the field Alex focused on low-risk differentials and took advantage of his compounding budget. "The goal was never to chase differentials early or mid-season; it was simply to protect position and keep accumulating points, with a clear awareness that the real leverage would come later by having the budget and structure in place to run four Tier A assets and deploy the 3X chip [Extra DRS Boost] at the optimal moment at the end of season Sprint races."

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He also emphasized the importance of avoiding transfer penalties unless absolutely necessary. "I only took a -10 twice all season — at Monza and Brazil — and both were very deliberate decisions rather than reactive ones. I have fairly strict rules around taking big hits: it has to be in service of restoring or protecting my long-term structure, not chasing short-term points."

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Beyond the Numbers: Finding Successful Differentials

When it came to finding differential picks, Alex relied on more than just simulations and betting lines. "That data-driven approach was always balanced with experience — using historical performance, team context and circuit characteristics to sanity-check decisions and apply a bit of feel where the numbers alone didn’t tell the full story."

Here are a few of Alex's biggest decisions that went against convention thinking:

Lance Stroll: Belgium, Hungary, and Zandvoort

Alex rostered Stroll in several mixed condition races, noting that "Stroll’s wet-weather ability is well known but often underestimated by models". Stroll averaged 14.3 fantasy points in these races, 8.2 points higher than his season average.

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Ferrari over Mercedes: Monaco, Silverstone, and Belgium

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‍The key here was pivoting when both Ferrari drivers were in top form. "With the second constructor, Red Bull never felt viable early on — the package just wasn’t consistently there for Max at that stage — and later in the season it became increasingly unpredictable once performance depended heavily on Yuki, which is never something you want to anchor a constructor pick to. Mercedes followed a similar pattern through the middle part of the season: Antonelli went through a dip in form, which made them overly reliant on George, so the upside felt capped. Ferrari, by contrast, offered the most reliable balance for much of the mid-season, with both drivers regularly returning solid results, which made them the safer and more controllable option."

Ferrari outscored Mercedes by 116 fantasy points across these three races, helping Alex inch closer to the Top 25.

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Charles Leclerc: Mexico

Some drivers perform better at certain circuits than their recent form suggests. As Alex recommends, "looking at historical performance at each circuit often gives more reliable insight than any prediction. That combination of careful research, experience, and timing allowed me to pick high-value alternatives." Leclerc scored 29 fantasy points, more than popular frontrunners Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, and George Russell.

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Kimi Antonelli: Brazil

At a time when many players opted for two Tier A drivers, Alex selected Kimi Antonelli after he qualified on the front row for the Sprint. Mercedes' strong historical performance at Interlagos reinforced his trust Antonelli's pace. Alex relied on a number of sources throughout the weekend to spot differentials like this one. "I watch every practice session, follow pre- and post-session commentary, and track updates from drivers, teams, and journalists across Twitter — anything that might reveal subtle performance trends". Antonelli scored a season-high 40 fantasy points in Brazil and propelled Alex into contention for the Global League crown.

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Looking Ahead to 2026

As Alex prepares for the upcoming season, he plans to bring these same principles into 2026 with the goal of returning to the top. "That balance between personal discipline, strategic focus, and learning from others is something I’ll carry straight into the 2026 game."

Regardless of the outcome, the F1 Fantasy community stands behind Alex as he strives for a second straight global podium. Interacting with F1 Fantasy players around the world continues to be one of his favorite elements of playing. "One of the biggest takeaways for me, though, has been the community — I’ve made some great online friends, and the insights, discussions, and shared experience have helped me massively in one way or another."

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Want More F1 Fantasy Content?

Be sure to check out our F1 Fantasy Guides for details on the best races to use the six powerup chips, how to grow your team budget, and much more. You can also watch The Fantasy Formula on the official FanAmp YouTube channel every race week for detailed lineup advice, exclusive interviews, and a breakdown of the latest news.

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